GUITAR AMPLIFIER BUILDING BASICS EP. 01

I'm going to start a new series breaking down the basics of guitar amp building. In this first installment we talk about resistors and capacitor options. The idea here is to help you make a decision about what your going to buy. In later episodes we will talk more technical stuff such. Always more to come so stick around.

[@bonzology322]

wire wound resistors have the lowest amount of noise and hiss, carbon comp in the right places are great, their instability is what makes them great, dale vishay are my fav metal films

[@joerivera3222]

13:40 far better

[@nicholasbarile5492]

Mega helpful! Ty for this! More please!!!

[@billsutherland9193]

Thanks! I found this video very informative. I watch this kind of stuff all the time and am enjoying yours. I'm looking forward to this series.

[@joerushing1593]

Good tips. Thanks!

[@DannyDKNYC]

Great stuff. Thanks for getting specific. Exactly what I was looking for. So is it your opinion that differences of capacitors are in + or - specs, noise level and lifespan? If we hold that to be true, how can we make a new amp sound like a classic vintage one? You think it ultimately comes down to Speaker and transformers that are pushed to their capacity? Tubes?

[@atech9020]

Vintage anything has a Value, that may or may not be in " Spec ". So how to make a Vintage correct amp with truly mordern parts is not an easy task. Those that claim they can, are selling you on something. How can you reference against it? You can't..... Speakers are where it is truly at; if you want to change the sound of your amp, change the speaker cab. A good sounding amp, sounds good, vintage or not.

[@atech9020]

If you have suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment. I ramble a bit, so I know it is hard to sit through some of this, but the Data is good. I'm working on getting things shorter and fitting more data in.

[@RAfiote2]

How did that auction go for the amp you built? Got some good offers for it?

[@atech9020]

@@RAfiote2 TBH, not as good as I had hoped. I am not famous by any stretch of the imagination. So, at a local wine tasting & fund raising event, I had probably the least interesting auction item. The item was sold to a friend of mine for $600+ the cost of entry. The event raised over $140,000, and I was just one small part of it. The nice thing is that because my friend won the auction for my amp, I get to " borrow " it at will. Sad state of affairs when you consider that just in parts alone, there was at minimum $700 in that build. The speaker was $200, and we didn't even touch my time spent building it. I figure I put about 100 hours into it including design time and building the cabinet etc. Thank you for your interest, and perhaps it will be on another auction block some day with a higher bidding price?

[@LeviBulger]

You really should try to source some good ceramics to use in lieu of silver micas for high peaks. I think they sound 100x better. Im also with you on F&T and sozo caps. They're fantastic.

[@atech9020]

My only gripe with ceramics is that they can be microphonic. Aside from that, I don’t really have anything against either form of capacitor. They do sound different, but only barely. Hence my statement of pick one and be happy. Neither is going to make or break the amp. I suppose my experience with truly vintage amps is limited, and therefore not conclusive to my feelings of the choice to use, but in my 30 years of playing I cannot say that x amp built x way, was better because it had x, y, z within it. The amp either inspired me, or didn’t. My experience with designing and building amps is more based around practicality, ease of sourcing parts, and does it sound good. I am not trying to be elusive, mysterious, or have some black magic to sell these things. It is genuine, it is truthful, and not slathered with snake oil. That is all I try to do.

[@sempercompellis]

unspotted (nonpotted) pickups tend to be microphonic- but that's the sound...@@atech9020

[@blasher4]

Which ones do you think would be better for higher gain amps?? Thx!

[@atech9020]

Honestly, just pick one. I say forget about carbon comp, but that is me. As for Caps, just pick one, the difference will not make or break the amp. The design and layout will though.

[@JB-68]

Nice video. Could you please provide us your prefered web suppliers, and if possbile one in EU ?

[@atech9020]

I personally use Antique Electronics Supply, Tube Depot, Amazon, or eBay. For the EU, you should have some good luck with Tube-Town, Tube Amp Doctor, and Modulus Amplification.

[@camielkotte]

​@@atech9020 tonefactory in Netherlands maybe?

[@LeviBulger]

Weird how we all perceive things differently. I personally can't stand metal film because of its sterility. I hate carbon comp for the reasons you said as well, but i have to admit it does sound fantastic. Carbon film is basically right in between for me and usually what i use for most parts of a build. There are definitely times that metal film actually is the perfect solution and same for the others. If im working on a modern amp that needs to sound modern, metal film tends to be the way to go. But i will NEVER use them in a vintage amp for how drastically they change an amp's tonal characteristics, particularly in the high end. I know everyone hates hiss, but when you're on stage or playing with a band in general, hiss doesn't matter whatsoever. But for a modern amp or if you're trying to make an amp that can sell, hiss is definitely a bad thing to most people who wouldn't understand maybe why an amp needs to hiss in today's world.

[@atech9020]

As a sound engineer of 20+ years I have come to learn one thing is certain. Sound is 100% subjective. What one person may think is angels singing, another will think is dying cats falling from the sky. Who is right? Does it even matter? It’s not easy to be simple, and being complex doesn’t add any value. Which is why I preach that you simply have to pick one. Whatever justification you need, just pick one. My mantra is: Quiet, no hum, no hiss, over-engineered yet practical and non interactive tone controls. 100% hand made amp and shell, with visible chassis.

[@5barkerstreet]

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